Terms of Use

Here are the Terms of Use for nerve(雑音空間), here after referred to as “This Site”.

This page contains information that you must read through before using or reproducing any of the music files distributed by This Site, hereafter referred to as “The Music File(s)”.

Please be sure to read and understand them.

Of course, you’re completely free to download them and listen to them by yourself!


Basic Rules

The summary of our Terms of Use is provided in this section.

Please refer to the detailed regulations for the appropriate treatment of individual cases.

Common rules for all

  • You can use The Music Files no matter what they are being used for, as long as they are used as background music.
  • You can cut, modify, and make mash-ups the music files.
  • You can redistribute the modified The Music Files, with the original author credited.
  • There is no charge as long as you follow the Terms of Use.
    • If you are unable to comply with the terms and conditions of free usage, we may be able to accommodate you for a fee.
  • In order to ensure a smooth experience for everyone, there are some prohibitions.

Personal non-commercial use (free of charge)

There are almost no restrictions on “personal” and “non-commercial” use except the prohibitions.

  • No prior or subsequent notice is required.
  • Credit statement and indicating the URL of This Site are optional.
  • There are no conditions that will cost you.

If you are having trouble deciding whether your case is commercial, please first read the detailed regulations and “About use cases and redistribution of music” section of the FAQs.

If you have any further questions, please contact us using the “Usage Consultation Form” under “Contact” page.

Corporate use and commercial use (free of charge)

If you wish to use The Music Files for commercial purposes without charge, the following additional conditions are applied.

  • Be sure to contact us.
  • The copyright notice, including music credit, and the URL of This Site must be clearly visible.
    • In other words, The Music Files is treated as linkware (A crediting source and a hyperlink back to This Site are required).
    • For applications that do not have a hyperlink mechanism, a copyright notice can be used as an alternative.

Fee-based exceptions available

Even if you are unable to comply with the conditions described so far, we will not always refuse your use of our services. Please contact us first to discuss your requirements.

If you wish The Music Files to have individual customization such as the following, a fee may be charged depending on the detailed work to be done. 

  • Your use is for commercial purposes, but you are unable or unwilling to place a crediting source or a hyperlink
  • You wish to obtain The Music Files in an audio file format not listed on This Site, such as uncompressed WAV format
  • You want to order me to customize The Music Files for your purpose, such as the loudness correction, or if you want to order me to provide other support services
  • You are an individual or company that produces websites or software on behalf of others for a fee, and you wish to use The Music Files as part of your deliverables to clients in the course of your work

Please let us know in advance via the “Usage Consultation Form” under “Contact Us” for the delivery date and cost, which will be discussed individually. Inquiries will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that we cannot guarantee that we will always be able to meet your request by the requested deadline.

If you are having trouble deciding whether your case is commercial, please first read the detailed regulations and “About use cases and redistribution of music” section of the FAQs.

How to credit the author

Any format is acceptable as long as it includes the following three informations and can be easily identified them;

  • Site Name: nerve (雑音空間)
  • Site URL: https://nerve-noise.space/
  • Copyright holder: Koji Kusanagi (or KUSANAGI, Koji in family-name-first order)

Here are the simplest examples.

HTML template

<div>BGM: <a href="https://nerve-noise.space/">nerve(雑音空間)</a> (fill the name of The Music File here) © Koji Kusanagi 1997-2023</div

Text-only template

BGM: (fill the name of The Music File here) / nerve(雑音空間) / https://nerve-noise.space/ © Koji Kusanagi 1997-2023

Full, detailed terms and conditions (February 13, 2023)

Terms regarding distribution of The Music Files

  1. The copyrights of the files distributed on nerve(雑音空間) (hereinafter referred to as “This Site”) belong to Koji Kusanagi (hereinafter referred to as “The Author”) and will not be relinquished.
  2. MIDI data files and audio data files distributed on This Site (hereinafter referred to as “The Music File(s)”) may be freely downloaded and stored on the user’s PCs, smartphones, and similar devices.
  3. There is no charge for downloading The Music Files.

Reproduction and redistribution

  1. You may reproduce and redistribute The Music Files in any media or format for any use except under the conditions prohibited by The Author.
  2. Proper music credit must be supplied for those reproduced, with the following exception:
    • You may omit the music credit if you use The Music Files without modification, for personal and non-commercial purposes.
  3. If credit is not given for commercial purposes, a fee may be charged for reproduction.

Processing, modification and adaptation

Since 2017, The Author allowed any modification of The Music Files.

  1. The Music Files can be freely processed and modified by cutting out a part, changing the audio bitrate, changing the pitch, changing the audio file format, remixing, sampling and using as a basis for derivative works, and so on.
  2. You may redistribute or sell the modified files under the condition that This Site must be credited as the original author’s. This term applies even if the use is for personal and non-commercial purposes.

Guideline for determining commercial purposes

We consider the use of The Music Files as part of any product or service for the purpose of making a business profit, whether by individuals or corporates, to be “for commercial purposes” (hereinafter referred to as “The Commercial Use”).

Free of charge for The Commercial Use is available, under the condition that The Music Files is treated as linkware (A crediting source and a hyperlink back to This Site are required).

Typical examples of The Commercial Use are listed below.

  1. Examples usage with products and services
    • As background music for applications running on iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, etc. that implement an advertising model, billing model, and so on
    • As background music for sales promotion of some products or services, such as the commercial videos distributed on TV or video sharing sites
    • As background music for exhibitions that aim to make a profit from admission fees
    • As background music for the video made by YouTubers, Instagrammers, TikTokers, and others who make their living by the videos they produce themselves
  2. Example as part of a customer deliverable for which you received a paid order
    • Development of websites and web applications
    • Development of softwares, applications, and games
    • Production of movies and videos
  3. Other
    • If you intend to include The Music Files in a data collection on a DVD or other media (e.g., as a book supplement) for sale

Conversely, we do not consider the following to be The Commercial Use.

  1. Any personal/private use
  2. As background music on a website operated by an individual as a hobby, and the page contains text, banners, or other advertisements or affiliate links.
  3. As background music for videos posted on YouTube or other video sharing sites by individuals as a hobby, whether or not an advertisement is displayed along with its playback.
  4. As part of a distribution of a hobby activity by individuals or groups
    • Even if the distribution is paid for, if the price is less than 5 USD or only for expenses, it is not considered commercial.
  5. Use in films (videos), concerts, and theater performances produced by amateurs
    • Inexpensive tickets (around 10 USD or less) are not considered commercial.
  6. As part of social contribution activities at nursing homes, long-term care facilities, hospitals, etc.
  7. As public educational institutions for classes, cultural festivals, school competitions, etc.
  8. In activities such as NPOs engaged in social contribution activities
  9. In public institutions and facilities such as government offices and local governments

See FAQ for our answers to past individual inquiries in a question-and-answer format.

Prohibitions

The following prohibitions have been established to facilitate the smooth operation of the site and to prevent problems between users. Any use that falls under the prohibited items is prohibited, regardless of whether it is paid or free.

  1. Direct links to the download URLs of The Music Files that exist in nerve-noise.space or its subdomains
  2. Selling The Music Files themselves without modifying, as-is
    • The production and sale of soundtrack CDs for games and other applications that includes The Music Files is not prohibited. Please let us know in advance.
  3. Redistribution for the purpose of redistribution itself, such as uploading The Music Files themselves only to a server connected to the Internet or to a P2P file sharing network, where they can be freely downloaded by an unspecified number of people.
    • It is also not allowed to redistribute files that have only been changed in bitrate or file format/encoding.
    • The following cases do not fall under the prohibited items because the redistribution of the music files themselves is necessary for a specific purpose, not the redistribution itself.
      • Distributing or selling songs that you have arranged, remixed, or somehow edited The Music Files by yourself
      • Uploading files of The Music Files to be used on the Internet by bundling them with your own content (to prevent the direct link to This Site).
  4. Assigning copyrights to ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or any other copyright management organization under the false pretense that The Music Files are your own.
  5. Registration of YouTube Content ID and similar registration as a content owner for sound and video files that use The Music Files.
    • The above settings may interfere with the playback of videos of other users who are legitimately using the site with permission from the site. Please be aware that this may infringe on the rights of other users.
  6. Requests for exclusive or monopolistic use of a specific music piece by discontinuing its publication on This Site.
    • We have not and will not track the usage of The Music Files that have been distributed in the past, so exclusive use is practically impossible even if we cease publication on This Site.
  7. Listing The Music Files as NFTs on marketplaces.

Disclaimer regarding The Music Files

  1. We do not guarantee that The Music Files will always play in all environments. Neither Thes Site nor The Author shall be held liable for any defects or damages to the user’s productions that may result from inadequate playback.
  2. For purposes of improvement, material may be changed or removed from This Site at any time without notice. We do not guarantee that The Music Files will always be available in the same form.

Effect of this agreement

  1. These terms and conditions shall be amended on February 13, 2023, to be effective on the same date.
  2. By using The Music Files, you agree that you have read and accepted these terms and conditions at the time you begin reproducing or redistributing them.

Revision History

  • February 13, 2023: With the renewal of the website, the conditions for free availability were relaxed. In addition, the following changes were made.
    • NFT exhibit prohibition added due to changes in social conditions.
    • Added handling of government offices and book publication.
  • June 10, 2018: Corrected a correction in the conditions to be considered as non-commercial use, a typographical error “NPOs” was corrected to “nursing homes, long-term care facilities”.
  • March 20, 2017: Full Revision. Changed definitions of terms and conditions for free and paid use. Clarified conditions regarding modification of files.
  • March 28, 2004: Revised in its entirety. Clearly stated terms and conditions for paid use.
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